Liam J. Brentwood
Captain Liam J. "Commando" Brentwood is the Commander of the 7th Armoured Division. Initially a model soldier, he derailed completely after the loss of Edward McMillan and has since suffered a complete mental breakdown. Profile Early Life Liam J. Brentwood was born into a working-class London family to Tyler and Mary Brentwood. His father, who had served as a Colour Sergeant in the First World War, was a violent, deranged man who beat his children. His agression brought Liam and his younger brother, Tyler, together, forging an unbreakable friendship between the two. Brentwood signed up to join the British Army almost as soon as he was old enough to do so, leaving his brother behind and began basic training. Military Career The Royal Marine Commandos Brentwood trained in the 3rd Infantry Division alongside old friend Lieutenant James Lancaster and later fought at the battle of Dunkirk which fuelled his long-standing hatred towards the French. His first commision was with the Thirty AU where he served under Captain Lewis Huntley. An attack on an enemy ammo dump went horribly wrong leading to the deaths of an entire platoon. Huntley reportedly used his high status (and good relationship with high-ranking officers) to avoid repurcussions for his actions and thus, the blame was laid on Brentwood's shoulders. It is implied that Huntley was at least partially to blame for Brentwood's lack of promotion despite years of service. He spent a period in Africa as a Second Lieutenant. He was later handpicked to join the Royal Marine Commandos. In the early stages of the war, he was known to some by the nickname Commando. He identified himself as both arrogant and stubborn, but was an exceptionally capable commando. ]] He met American Captain Chris Matherson and Russian Sergeant Szudek Shvitrikgail during a reconnaissance mission near Allied territory which eventually led to a German attack on the two officers, led by Justin Kempster. Brentwood and Matherson were succesful in seeing off the enemy advance and Brentwood returned, uninjured, to his base. He would later meet up with Lancaster, who he had not seen for many years. Tensions eventually grew between them, with Brentwood unsure of his old friend's alleigances. He later helped save English private Stephen Colly from a burning vehicle. Brentwood took part in yet another reconnaissance mission, this time in enemy territory in Poland, which was ultimately compromised by Japanese soldier Naga Waraski. Liam managed to escape, alive but wounded. He was later transferred (briefly) to Africa, where a vicious German attack left him alone and half-dead. His life was saved by Australian medic Marcus Flint. At least during the early stages of the war, Brentwood identified with NCO's and private soldiers rather than with officers - for the most part, he socialised with the enlisted soldiery rather than the officers. In fact, on a number of occasions, he was shown to despise the more upper-class officers in the company. Despite this, he enjoyed using his high rank to intimidate soldiers who irritated him (for instance Daniel Brennan). He also had a flirtatious side, with some romantic tension between him and USO volunteer Helen Fletcher. Although having met with him a few times previous (notably during a brutal training excercise), he met Edward McMillan properly in the unit garage, soon after the Irishman's transfer to the unit. Their friendship blossomed over the years and he would go on to view the Sergeant Major he fondly nicknamed Mac as one of his greatest friends. He fought alongside him in a vicious skirmish against Rafael Z. Wolfram. Sometime before this battle, he was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain. One of his first acts as Captain was to help James F. Mason train with his P.I.A.T. His pride in the Royal Commandos was obvious - he maintained an extremely high level of discipline, determined to shape the recruits into the best soldiers they could possibly be. 7th Armoured Division , Nathan Whyte, Daniel Brennan and Stephen Colly (pictured), Brentwood was present at McMillan's funeral.]] Alongside Edward McMillan, James F. Mason and a number of old comrades, Brentwood was eventually transferred into the 7th Armoured Division. Sometime after the transfer, he went on leave in London where he and Staff Sergeant Rhys Bevan found themselves in the middle of an air raid. Both were instrumental in saving the lives of a number of civilians. He would later be reunited with his younger brother Tyler Brentwood when the latter too was drafted into the company. He took part in the defense of Tobruk alongside Aaron Mitchell with whom he held a cordial relationship. The British ultimately won the brutal skirmish, highlighting Brentwood's capabilities on the battlefield. Loss of Edward McMillan When McMillan was supposedly killed in action, Captain Brentwood was called in to identify the bodies of his massacred squad. He refused to believe that his old friend was dead, claiming that his "body" belonged to another man. Although the relevant authorities refused to listen to the Captain's claims, Brentwood remained adamant that McMillan was alive and held hostage in enemy territory. Having lost his greatest friend, Brentwood began to break down completely, succumbing to vicious bursts of anger against his subordinates. During the Sergeant Major's funeral, he hurled abuse at fellow mourner Daniel Brennan, only being calmed down later by a shocked Rhys Bevan and Nathan Whyte. Brentwood assured his companions (correctly) that McMillan was still alive but his statement was seen by many as being a mad babbling. As a result, he took to drinking heavily. It was not long until Stephen Colly, Daniel Brennan and Nathan Whyte approached him with information regarding McMillan. A now severely deranged Brentwood was highly hostile towards them, ordering them to surrender their weapons as they entered his office and forcing a revolver under Colly's jaw. When faced with evidence of McMillan's betrayal, Brentwood came close to shooting Stephen himself, pulling himself back by the "skin of his teeth". Eventually coming around to believing what they said, Brentwood manipulated the three soldiers into joining his "hunt" on Edward McMillan. Following the confrontation with the trio, Brentwood formed a splinter group from the 7AD - a renegade and highly secretive band nicknamed The Jackals, recruting his loyal Sergeants Riley and White. Frustrated at the government's attitude to the conflict, they intended to take the law into their own hands, hunting down, torturing and murdering those they felt deserved it. One of these victims was an unnamed German prisoner of war who had raped an eight year-old girl. When U.S Lieutenant Nicholas Ealing chanced upon the torture, he clashed with Brentwood, eventually smacking him in the face with the butt of a revolver. Brentwood opened fire on the Lieutenant and fled. Relationships Brentwood's greatest friend was his right-hand man Edward McMillan, whose eventual betrayal led to the Captain's mental breakdown. He was also on friendly terms with Staff Sergeant Rhys Bevan, who he assisted in saving the lives of a number of civilians during a German air raid, and with Aaron Mitchell who he fought alongside at Tobruk and socialised with on a couple of occasions. An old friend of Brentwood's was Lieutenant James Lancaster, who had trained alongside him. With the possible exception of his brother, he is perhaps closest to sergeants Thomas Riley and Julian Whyte. He heavily dislikes his father, Tyler Brentwood I, and clashed with Lieutenant Nicholas Ealing. He also has a deep-rooted hatred of Captain Lewis Huntley. Category:Characters of Issuing Orders